Luggage racks



Oct. 21, 1969 y M. FAU 3,473,674

LUGGAGE RACKS Filed June 6, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 iria-il? MAUR ICE FAU INVENTOR gcafl 9". ik V'tiorneyl Oct. 2l, 1969 M. FAU 3,473,674

LUGGAGE RAGKS Filed June 6, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 M. FAU

LUGGAGE RACKS Oct. 21, 1969 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 6, 1967 1 l l .ll

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imm Q 3,473,674 LUGGAGE RACKS Maurice Fan, 32 Ave. Raymond Poincare, La Varenne Saint Hilaire, Val de Marne, France Filed .lune 6, 1967, Ser. No. 643,888 Claims priority, application France, .lune 11, 1966, 2

3 90 Int. Cl. A47f 5/08; Fld 1/06; B61d 49/00 ILS. Cl. 211-151 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention relates to luggage racks, in particular racks designed for use in a railway carriage.

The loading of a suitcase onto a luggage rack of a railway carriage is a diicult operation and also at times distressing, in particular for an aged person, as the luggage racks are positioned relatively high up. It is the same for retrieving it.

According to the present invention there is provided in a luggage rack at least one horizontal tube extending substantially the length of the luggage rack along a front edge thereof, this tube being unidirectionally rotatable about its longitudinal axis in a sense facilitating the sliding of an object onto the rack across its free front edge.

During the loading of a suitcase onto the supporting structure of the rack, the suitcase is rst of all seated on the front tube and is thereafter displaced towards the rear of the luggage rack. During this movement, the tube is rotated, which greatly eases the loading and avoids all risk of scratching; the suitcase cannot inadvertently return to the front, as the tube is not free to rotate in a sense corresponding to such a return.

In a particular embodiment of the invention, I provide means on the luggage rack for releasing a detent normally preventing the tube from rotating in the reverse sense, i.e. that corresponding to forward withdrawal of baggage. Such release makes it easy to retrieve a suitcase which can then roll on the tube while being pulled olf the rack.

Luggage racks embodying the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a transverse section of a luggage rack representing a first embodiment of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a partly sectional plan View of the rack of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on the line III- III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an axial sectional View of a front tube forming part of a second embodiment; and

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view on the line V-V of FIG. 4.

As shown in FIGS. l to 3, the luggage rack is formed from vertical brackets 1 which are connected to one another by a rear tube 2, a front tube 3 and a luggage-supporting tube 4 positioned at a fixed distance to the rear of the tube 3, the three tubes being horizontal. In the drawing only two brackets are shown, but intermediate brackets can be provided. At each of their ends, the tubes 2, 3 and 4 are connected by pins 5 with threaded studs 6 which traverse the brackets 1 and whose projecting ends are engaged by nuts 7.

nited States Patent O 3,473,674 Patented Oct. 2li, 1969 ice The tubes 2 and 4 are interconnected by support means in the form of a grating 8. The latter is fixed to each of the tubes by a sheet of metal 9 which envelopes the corresponding tube but whose edges are bent back so that the grating can be welded between them at selected points.

On each of the ends of the tube 3 is tted a ball race 10 which is connected to the tube by the corresponding pin 5. An auxiliary ball race 10 is also fixed in the middle of the tube 3 by a pin S. The tubular rollers 11 are fitted over the races 10 and 10 and each of the races comprises a groove 12, of approximately triangular section, in which is housed a ball 13. The groove is disposed in a manner to enable rotation of the corresponding tube 11 in the sense of the arrow 14, i.e. counterclockwise as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 3, corresponding to the displacement of baggage across the top of the tube from the front towards the rear; when the tube 11 tends to be displaced in the opposite sense, the ball 13 becomes wedged between this tube and the ball race 10 or 10', so as to jam the tube 11. Thus the assembly illustrated in FIG. 3 constitutes in effect an overrunning clutch interposed between the tube 11 and its fixed stud shaft 6.

As shown in FIG. l, the tubes 11 project forwardly beyond the ends of the brackets. Further, their diameter is such that when baggage 15 is placed on the supporting wall 8, at the bottom of the luggage rack, it rests simultaneously on the tubes 4 and 11.

When the user places baggage 1S on the tubes 11 and pushes the baggage in a way to make it rest on the rearwardly and downwardly inclined supporting shelf 8, the baggage engages the tubes 11 and causes them to rotate and thus avoids the risk of scratching; during this operation, the baggage cannot come in Contact with the ends of the brackets 1.

When the luggage is in place, it is supported simultaneously by the tubes 3 and 4, so as to diminish by half the stress to which each of them is subjected.

In the case of shock, the baggage cannot roll because the tubes 11 are blocked against reverse (clockwise) rotation. Thus there is little risk of falling and of injuring the passengers seated below the luggage rack.

In the embodiment of the FIGS. 4 and 5 each of the tubes 11 is rotatably mounted on two anti-friction bushings 16 which are respectively carried at the end of the tube 3 and on the central portion thereof. The two central bushings 16 are axially separated from one another by two ball races 10 which are each one housed in one of the tubes 11 but whose outer periphery is spaced by a fixed radial distance from the wall of the tube, the two ball races being rigid with the tube 3 by means of pins 5" and being axially separated by a pawl 17. The latter is rigid with a finger 18 which is disposed parallel to the axis of the tube 3 and extends into the groove 12 of each of the ball races below the locking ball 13, i.e. at the narrower end of the converging groove.

Normally, the tubes 11 can turn only in the sense of the arrow 14, i.e. counterclockwise, coresponding to the loading of baggage.

When it is desired to retrieve baggage, the normally operable pawl is swung counterclockwise (FIG. 5) as shown by the arrow 19. The finger 18 then pushes the ball 13 into an inoperative position and breaks the jam between the tube 3 and the surrounding tube 11. The tubes 11 can thus turn in the sense opposite that of the arrow 14 i.e. clockwise, so as to permit the retrieval of baggage by enabling it to roll forwardly on the tubes.

In lieu of providing two tubes 11 disposed side by side and extending axially, one tube can be so arranged that it extends the complete length of the luggage rack.

Other means can be provided in place of those shown for enabling the tubes to rotate in the sense of the arrow 14 but not in the opposite sense.

I claim:

1. A luggage rack comprising a supporting structure forming a generally horizontal shelf with a free front edge, roller means extending along said front edge with freedom of rotation about a horizontal axis in a direction facilitating rearward sliding of a piece of luggage over the top of said roller means, said top projecting above said shelf, and unidirectional coupling means between said structure and said roller means for preventing reverse rotation of said roller means.

2. A luggage rack as defined in claim 1 wherein said structure comprises a shelf sloping downwardly from said front edge.

3. A luggage rack as defined in claim 2, wherein said structure includes at least one luggage-supporting tube extending across said shelf rearwardly of and parallel to said edge.

4. A luggage rack as defined in claim 1 wherein said unidirectional coupling means comprises an overrunning clutch.

5. A luggage rack as defined in claim 1, and further comprising manually operable release means for temporarily deactivating said coupling means.

6. A luggage rack as defined in claim 2 and further comprising manually operable release means for temporarily deactivating said coupling means.

7. A luggage rack as defined in claim 3 and further comprising manually operable release means for temporarily deactivating said coupling means.

8. A luggage rack as defined in claim 4 and further comprising manually operable release means for temporarily deactivating said coupling means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 422,025 2/ 1890 MacDonald 28T-52.09 458,902 9/1891 Hine 2l1l5l 557,392 3/1896 Jewell et al. 211-151 771,951 10/1904 Wahlstrom. 1,058,811 4/1913 Thurber 287--52.09 5 2,097,628 11/1937 Liebhardt 287-l35 XR 2,517,700 8/1950 Odin 287-136 XR FOREIGN PATENTS 830,515 2/1952 Germany.

ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner R. D. KRAUS, Assistant Examiner U.S. C1. X.R.

25 zzn-52.09 

